Avatar – Cool Scenes
Avatar – Cool Scenes
I’m not sure that the cool scenes in this movie have anything to do with the bible, except maybe in the principle that excellence in artistry is one way we glorify our Creator. But I have to comment on them because they are just that – cool, and I have to justify my comment that it is a great movie. The technology of the movie has been commented upon by critics ad infinitum and is the first thing that captures the viewer’s attention. Continue reading “Avatar – Cool Scenes”
Oaths 5 – Torcaso v. Watkins
Oaths 5 – Torcaso v. Watkins
Evidence of the pervasive effect of allowing the federal government to forbid religious test oaths in the States of the Union as completely as is the case for federal government offices was the 1961 U.S. Supreme Court case, Torcaso v. Watkins, 367 U.S. 488 (1961), is touted as the opinion that settled whether the Article VI religious test clause ban applies to the States after the Fourteenth Amendment. I’ve copied the Wikipedia article on the matter because it sums up the opinion and the lack of resolution of the issue by that opinion. The opinion actually never addressed Article VI because it applied the First Amendment to decide the case. Continue reading “Oaths 5 – Torcaso v. Watkins”
Avatar – The Technological Ambiguities
Avatar – The Technological Ambiguities
Cameron, the Director, is attacking modern Western Civilization to a large extent in this movie. (See the special on the DVD, “Message from Pandora,” where Cameron and a few of the actors go to aid the native activists in a South American country to prevent development of land.) Yet, he himself has profited from modern technology by making the movie. Which is it, James? Is technology bad or good? Good for your pocket but not for the corporation attempting to make a profit on Pandora. Continue reading “Avatar – The Technological Ambiguities”
“Left Behind” – The Discrediting of a Theological System
“Left Behind” – The Discrediting of a Theological System
There was a series of books published in the “Left Behind” series. At least two movies have now been made based on those books. They are the source of ridicule from the unbelieving world, and the authors of the ideas presented in those books and movies think the unbelievers are proving the point of their stories. What if their ideas are simply unbiblical and foolish? What does that do for the reputation of the Christian faith, when unbelievers think such ideas are what all Christians believe? What if the theology of those stories is a recent invention that perverts the words of Jesus and the prophets? Thankfully, such theologies typically die over time, but the damage done during that time can be great.
Continue reading ““Left Behind” – The Discrediting of a Theological System”
Oaths 4
Oaths 4
In Alabama, a judge entering upon the duties of the office must swear the following oath:
“I, _______, solemnly swear (or affirm as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Alabama, so long as I continue a citizen thereof; and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, to the best of my ability. So help me God.”
Avatar & The Uniform Code of Military Justice
Avatar & The Uniform Code of Military Justice
I have to put post this because of my military background. As Jake explains upon his arrival on Pandora, the military on Pandora are simply mercenaries defending the corporate entity that is on the planet to mine unobtainium. However, they are also there to defend Humans, whom we can correlate with Americans. They are still defending Americans, if there is an America at this time in the future. Also, the Colonel’s attitude is a carryover from his days of actual military duty. It’s clear that he has merged the two worlds in his mind; he is on Pandora not just because he loves war but because he believes in defending Americans/Humans. His comment to Jake when they square off at the end – “What’s it like to betray your own race?” – shows that he identifies Humans as a particular group to whom you should be loyal. Is this interplanetary racism on his part? Is there such a thing? Continue reading “Avatar & The Uniform Code of Military Justice”
Sovereign God 019
Apocalypse
Apocalypse
The Greek word translated as The Revelation in Revelation 1:1 is apocalypse.
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: . . . .”
The Greek word, apokalypsis, means:
1. laying bare, making naked
2. a disclosure of truth, instruction
Oaths 3 – Examples of Good Oaths from Early America
Oaths 3 – Examples of Good Oaths from Early America
So, where do we find some good examples of a good oath to which civil leaders should swear? The early States. Continue reading “Oaths 3 – Examples of Good Oaths from Early America”